Last week, I had laparoscopic surgery in my right abdomen to correct a defect in the lowest rib. I was told to walk as much as possible (after I slept all day Tuesday!) to help dissipate the gas from the laparoscopic procedure. Thanks to the focuses and principles of Chi Running and Walking, and putting these principles to practice...

Last weekend I taught an advanced workshop that focused on applying the basic techniques of Chi Running to running hills and speedwork. We have a lot of hills in my area and no matter how hard you try, you can’t avoid them! The next day, I ran a 5 mile trail race that was full of --- hills! It was a great way to test my skills and walk - er, run - the talk.

Over the past year my knee has been healing thanks to the Chi Walk-Run program - I'm running up to 45-60 minutes at a stretch with most of my focus on good alignment and relaxation. Two weeks ago, on a whim, I signed up for a 5K race - first since September 2011! I would not have done this if I didnʼt think I was ready. I did surprisingly well...

Recently, one of our instructors, Ryan Miller, reminded us about the four Chi skills as applied to teaching. I wanted to touch on them as they apply to running. The four skills are Focusing, Body Sensing, Breathing, Relaxing. I'll go through each one as it applies to my running.

Where do you use your Chi Running and Chi Walking focuses? I use mine in the pool - running! Years ago, before my Chi Running practice, I got a metatarsal stress fracture. I was committed to running the Hood to Coast relay, which motivated not to lose fitness, so I started pool running. I bought a float belt and started taking aqua jogging classes. I had trouble with keeping my head comfortably above the water line so I could breathe easier. It was not a fun experience and I abandoned it for the road once my foot healed.

Running in 2011 has been a year of learning an important lesson - gradual progress. Early in the year, I slipped on an icy bench, slamming the inside of the knee. After many months of off and on running, and guessing the injury, an MRI showed a meniscus tear and Baker's cyst. It's been two steps forward, and one step back,

I was going to title this blog post "Running Stops the Voices in My Head" but I thought that might scare some readers off. In fact, running does quiet my mind, if I allow it. One of the aims of Chi Running (and Chi Walking) is to change running from a ‘fitness’ sport to a more mindful practice, much like yoga or Pilates or t’ai chi. Every time you run, it’s a chance to work on improving your practice, which includes listening to your body.

A few years ago, while running at Hood to Coast relay, one of our team members proclaimed you could put a certain running shoe logo on a piece of dog poop and sell it. He worked for and was sponsored by a local shoe company, which made him biased, but there was an element of truth to that. These days, it seems to ring true for minimalist running, and what that means to different people.

My favorite venue for running is out in the mountains and forests. While I love these runs, I've been inspired by Danny's Boston marathon training updates and other instructors' talk of track workouts to get in some consistent flat running for form work. I took Alice Diffely's Form Focus Sequence workout (November 2008 Chi Living Newsletter) to the track today. Here's how it went (with a few modifications; reference to book noted):

Lately, in my runs, I have been focusing on the One Legged Posture Stance (OLPS). A good description of the OLPS can be found in the Chi Running book (p. 78-79). At the Kripalu workshop last fall, Danny said "The One Legged Posture Stance is like plugging an electrical socket into the floor with each step."